Combination freight car side and grain door



July 26, 1932 WOODMAN COMBINATION FREiGHT cm SIDEAND GRAIN noon FiledJuly 11 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet l y 26, 9 G. A. WOODMAN 1,868,786

COMBINATION FREIGHT CAR SIDE A ND GRAIN DOOR Filed July 11. l-93Q 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented July 26, 1932 PATENT. oF IcE eno-ne n' A.WOODMAN', or CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGLN'OR' or. ONE-HALF 'ro wrnrmm0.1anrzn or CHICAGQ'ILLINOIS' I GOMBINATION FREIGHT GAR SIDE AND GRAIN?ApplicatiodfiledJ-uly 11,1930. -Ser'ial 1%., 467,211

This invention relates to a novel. car door and more particularly to. adoor adapted for use on a freight. car.

The'salient object of the invention is to provide a novel door'for afreight carorthe like which may be used in" all respects in a mannersimilar to the usual doorand WlllCll will include removable portionsthat may be usedto provide a. closure for the door opening to adapt the.car' for grain shipments thereby providing what is known as a graincar'do'or. Ain ancillary. object is to arrange the removable portionsproviding the graincar door for expeditious removal and re placementandto so store the portions that;

the normal use of the door will not be inr. paired. By so arranging thedoor structure it will be possible to provide portions which will alwaysbe ready .for use audit 'will stored when not in use, they may be. used,

over and over.

vide a'sturdy door which may be economically manufactured fromrelatively inexpensive material in an ineXpensivema-nner.

A. selected embodiment of the invention is Fi g. 1 is an elevational'viewl'ooking from. the interior 0]": the car showin'g'my improveddoorstructure i i drawn. to an-enlarged scale;

Fig; 3 is a horizontal sectional View taken.

substantially'on' the line 33' of Fig. 1" and drawn to. anenlarged scale"Fig. 4 is an elevational view showing the removable portions asarranged toprovide a grain car door I 5 is a sectional view takensubstan- 43- tiallyon the line*'55 of Fig.-.4";;and1

1y on the line 66 of Fig." l. and drawntoi an enlarged scale. I

Referring to the drawingswhere'in a selects 1 gation19'beingprovidedlinthemarginalpon. Other objects of the invention are topr'oillustrated in the accompanying drawings,

'Fig'. 2 is a vertical sectional viewta'ltenj substantially on the lineof Fig. 1'- and 1 a channelfbar 2.6 is fixed which cooperates Fig.6 is asectional view taken substantialed embodiment of my inventionisillustrated,

7' generally indicates a .reenforcing frame that includes an upper strip8,. a lower strip 9, and side strips 10 and 11. The frame? is disposedtoward the interior. of the car: when the dooris arranged inpositiomfthe. door being mounted in the usual inannerto slide to andfrom closing position with. respect w to. the openingprovided the sideof a freightcar. The door plate. 12 may be made of a single sheet or itmay bebuilt up of two or more sheets and is stampedto provide pockets.in which. grain car door members are held in storage position untilrequiredffon use. On. the plate. 12 there is upper. marginal portionl3',.a;lower marginal portion. 14 and side marginal portions 15 and 16..The marginal portions 13, -14,.15,.and16 are' disposed upon theoutwardlydisposed faces of I the:strips.8,;9., 10,. and 11 and the plate IQ'Qand' frame7 are oined by rivets l7 or otlier suitable securing devicesThe marginal portion. 13 is dished in the center portionthereof toprovide. a corrugation 18,.-a. simil'ar corrution. 14.. Themarginalportions 15 and. 16 are. dished substantially throughout thelength thereofi toprovide corrugationsQO and. p

' 21. The. corrugationsserve to reenforcethe plate 12,additional.reenforcement. being pro-. vided'; byfthe, frame; 7..Inwardly or the marginal portions sections 22' of the. plateIlQ are.bent to provide substantially dish shaped? pockets. i A. rib 22' isdefined betweenthe. secti'ons22l and this rib is disposed'at the medialportion of the plate 12.. The edges ofthe door are, arranged similar tothe edges of the common. type of freight car door.- Alongthe outer edgesot' the. strip 10- and marginal portion 15 a channeh bar 24' is securedwith the flattened bightportion thereof disposed. to provide anabutting. surface 25 that serves asa stop to locate the door in1clos--ing position over the opening. Along the edges ofthe'strip 1'1 andportion marginal116 therefore this door may be used in the manner of theusual freight car door.

To arrange a freight car for grain shipment it is now the generalpractice to fasten boards over the lower part of the door openings inthe sides of the car, and supplies of these boards are providedconveniently during the grain shipping season. These boards often fitpoorly and require special means to prevent the grain from leaking out.Often suitable boards are not provided which causes delay in loading andthis represents considerable waste. My invention overcomes all thesedisadvantages by providing grain door members designed for this purposeonly, which are carried by the car doors when not in use, which willform a close seal for the lower partof the door opening, and which areintended for repetitious use. The grain door members 27, 28 are securelyheld in pockets 23 of the car door, when not in use, by suitable meansshown comprises brackets 29 fastened on the sections 22 the lower endsof the pockets. These brackets provide ledges 30 extended at rightangles to the sections 22 and at the inner ends of the ledges 30 areflanges 31 which extend parallel with the sections 22 but spacedtherefrom and in the spaces thus provided, so as to rest on the ledges30, I arrange the lower flanges of the door members 27 and 28. On thesections 22 adjacent the upper ends of the pockets 23, at substantiallythe middle of said pockets, I provide brackets and p votally mountedthereon are gravity latches 3.4: which engage the upper flanges on thedoor members 27 and 28.

At various points along the side edges of the sections 22 in the pockets2-3 are angle strips 35 arranged end to end in vertical rows, thecooperating rows of angle strips being spaced apart in an amount equalto the width of the grain car door members whereby said angle stripswill engage the side flanges 36 and 37 on said door members to preventside movement of the door members. Since the lower flanges of the graincar door members are supported on the ledges 30 of the brackets 29 andare held against displacement therefrom by the flanges 31 and since thelatches 34 engage the upper flanges of the door members and as thespacing between these members is substantially equal to the height ofthe door members, the door members will be held against verticalmovement in the pockets 23, the strips 85 neatly engaging the sideflanges 3G and 37 to prevent sidewise movement of the door members inthe pockets.

When the car is to be arranged for grai shipment the door members 27 and28 will be removed from pockets 23 by moving the latches 34 fromretaining position, after which the grain car door members may be easilylifted from the pockets this being done prior to the time the door ismoved to open position. One of the door members 27 or 28 will then bearranged over the door opening and rested on either the side flange 36or 37 and the other door member will be arranged thereover, these doormembers being disposed to extend transversely across the door openingand when arranged in this position these door members will close theopening in the amount required when the car is used for grain shipment,itbeing understood that the door may be moved back into closing positionafter the above arrangement of the members 27 and 28 over the opening,because these grain car door members are disposed within the car. Thedoor members 27 and 28 arranged for use in this manner are disclosed inFig. a. In order to reenforce the door members 27 and 28, longitudinallyextending dished portions 38 are provided which are extended in parallelrelation, preferably in juxtaposition and in this manner the doormembers are corrugated which manifestly reenforces them.

Both the side door openings are closed by the grain car door memberswhen the car is used for grain shipments. After the grain has beenemptied from the car, the door members 27 and 28 are again stored in thepockets 23 and the car may then be used for whatever purpose desired.Since convenient storage space is provided for the grain car doorincinbers, loss is to a great extent eliminated and therefore thedisadvantages of present grain car doors are obviated.

The various elements of my door structure are corrugated and thus properreenforcement is provided and therefore relatively light sheet metal maybe used in the construction of these elements. Since relatively lightsheet metal may be used it is manifest that the various members may beformed by stamping operations which are relatively iiiexpensive andtherefore, since inexpensive material may be used which may be formed inan inexpensive manner it is manifest that I have provided an inexpensiveconstruction. The device will be sturdy and sufficiently substantial towithstand the rather strenuous use to which such doors are put. Furthersince I have provided a convenient arrangement for storing grain doormembers which may be used to close the opening to arrange the car forgrain shipments it is manifest that I have obviated the previouslyexisting disadvantages. In addition to the above, the members providingclosures for the opening for use in grain shipments may be securelyfixed in position to prevent displacement thereof when the door is to beused in the manner of the usual freight car door.

While I have illustrated and described a preferred form of constructionfor carrying my invention into effect it is to be understood that I donot wish to limit myself to the precise details set forth but'desire toavail myself of the invention within the purview of the followingclaims:

I claim:

1. A door of the character stated including a plate, said plate havingsections thereof bent to provide a pocket, a member mounted in saidpocket and removable therefrom to close a portion of the opening adaptedto be closed by said door, and means in said pocket includinga'supporting ledge, a releasable means, and side movement preventingmeans for .removably retaining said grain door member in said pocket.

' 2. A door of the character stated including a reenforced plate, saidplate having sections thereof bent to provide pockets disposed outwardlyof the inner face of the door, reenforced members detached from saiddoor and mounted in said pockets and removable therefrom to close aportion of the opening adapted to be closed by said door, and means insaid pockets for removably retaining said reenforced members in saidpockets.

3. A door of the character stated including a sheet metal plateihavingthe marginal portions thereof corrugated to provide reenforcements,sections inwardly of said reenforcements bent to provide pocketsoutwardly of the inner face of the door, anda frame mounted on the innerface of said plate.

4. A door of the character stated including a plate having the marginalportions thereof corrugated to provide reenforcements, sections inwardlyof said reenforcements bent to provide pockets, a frame mounted on oneface of said plate, and members mounted in said pockets and removabletherefrom to close a portion of the opening adapted to be closed bysaid. door.

to close an opening, said door including al plate havingthe marginalportions thereof corrugated to provide reenforcements and havingportions intermediate said reenforcements bent to provide pockets andhaving a rib intermediate said pockets, a frame cooperating with saidplate andarranged' opposite the corrugations of saidfirst frame, membersadapted to close a portion of the opening closed bysaid door, saidmembers normally 5. A door of the character stated adapted to close anopening, said door including a plate having the marginal portionsthereof corrugated to provide reenforcements and having portionsintermediate said reenforoements bent to provide pockets with a ribintermediate said pockets, a frame for re enforcing said plate arrangedopposite the corrugations thereof, and members retained in said pocketsand removabletherefrom to close a portion of the opening adapted to beclosed by said door.

6. A door of the character stated adapted to close an opening, said doorincluding a plate having the marginal portions thereof corrugated toprovide reenforcements and havin portions intermediate said corrugationsbent to provide pockets, a frame cooperating with said plate andarranged opposite the corrugations thereof, members retained in saidpockets and removable therefrom to close a portion of the opening closedby said door, and means in said pockets for retaining said members insaid pockets.

7 A door of the character stated adapted

